Don Wallen: An American Still Life

Don Wallen: An American Still Life at the University of Washington Digital Collections. "...n 1978, after a year as chief photographer for the Seattle Weekly, Wallen decided to dedicate himself to freelance work. He became photo editor for the Seattle Gay News, and was a contributing photographer to several magazines including Drummer, In Touch and the Advocate. Editors, publishers, and fellow photographers alike have praised Wallen as one of the very best in the business, and his award-winning work has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the country.
Don Wallen died of AIDS-related complications on November 16, 1997, leaving behind a body of work he once characterized as "An American Still Life." Indeed, life itself was his theme. Whether he was shooting flea markets or street protests, Seattle drag queens or the bathtub of author Tom Robbins, Wallen was concerned only with capturing the truth in each moment. He offered no easy insight into the meaning of his work, preferring instead to relinquish the task of interpretation to the individual."